THE C60, serving the Killin and Callander area, will be discontinued at the end of the year.

Kingshouse Travel will be terminating the service after December 30 this year due to a shortage of drivers in the area.

Stirling Council has conducted a number of public consolation meetings to determine the future of a similar transport service. A range of possible options have been discussed and MSP Bruce Crawford has also met representatives from the transport department.

He said: “Having met with Stirling Council officials, I am pleased that efforts are being made to reach out to people in the local community as it is residents who use the current service who are best placed to advise what type of replacement would fulfil the needs of these particular communities.

“The C60 bus has been met with deeply unfortunate circumstances and it is clear from the discussions I have had with transport representatives that the issues leading to the decision to discontinue the service centred around staffing availability.

“Going forward, it is clear that the availability of drivers in the local area – who can run a local service – must be a primary consideration for reaching a solution.

“I understand that, from the public meetings held, a range of different ideas and views were voiced by residents and I have been assured that they will all be taken into account by officials when devising a strategy for replacing the crucial Killin – Callander link.”